It's up to your company to recognize the possibility that an employee's request for leave may be protected by the FMLA and to ask for more information, if necessary, to determine whether the law applies.
If the employee has already taken FMLA leave and requests more time off for the same reason, then the employee must specifically refer either to the FMLA or to the qualifying reason for leave. This rule recognizes that employees who have already used the FMLA and know their situation qualifies for FMLA leave can be expected to know the rules and provide more extensive notice. Employees must give notice at least 30 days in advance if their need for FMLA leave is foreseeable for example, for non-emergency surgery.
An employee who does not give 30 days' notice must explain why such notice was not practicable, if the employer requests. Employees who need leave for an unforeseeable reason must give as much notice as is practicable, usually the same or next business day after the employee learns of the need for leave. FMLA leave is unpaid. An employee who wants to substitute paid leave available under a company policy for unpaid FMLA leave must meet all of the notice and other procedural requirements of company policy.
For example, if your company requires two weeks' advance notice for vacation requests, an employee must give notice two weeks in advance to substitute vacation time for FMLA leave, even if the employee needs FMLA leave for an emergency that wasn't foreseeable two weeks in advance. The employee is still entitled to FMLA leave for that time, but can be prohibited from substituting paid leave until the two-week notice period has passed.
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The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service. Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Grow Your Legal Practice. Meet the Editors. Employer Notice Requirements Employers must give employees a series of notices about their rights under the FMLA and their obligations when using leave. The regulations that interpret the FMLA divide these notice requirements into four separate documents: A general notice , which must be posted conspicuously this can be done electronically, as long as it's accessible to employees and applicants.
The site is secure. Covered employers must provide employees with certain critical notices about the FMLA. An employer generally will be covered under the FMLA if it is a private employer with 50 or more employees, a public agency, or a public or private elementary or secondary school.
Additionally, covered employers who have employees who are eligible for FMLA leave must:. This fact sheet provides general guidance concerning each of these employer notification requirements. To meet the general notice requirements of the FMLA, covered employers must display a poster in plain view for all workers and applicants to see, notifying them of the FMLA provisions and providing information concerning how to file a complaint with the Wage and Hour Division.
A covered employer must display this poster even if it has no eligible employees. An employer who willfully violates this posting requirement may be subject to a civil money penalty. For current penalty amounts, see www. In addition to displaying a poster, a covered employer who has any eligible employees also must provide a general notice containing the same information that is in the poster in its employee handbook or other written material about leave and benefits.
The employee and employer shall attempt to work out a schedule for such leave that meets the employee's needs without unduly disrupting the employer's operations, subject to the approval of the health care provider. When the approximate timing of the need for leave is not foreseeable, an employee must provide notice to the employer as soon as practicable under the facts and circumstances of the particular case. It generally should be practicable for the employee to provide notice of leave that is unforeseeable within the time prescribed by the employer's usual and customary notice requirements applicable to such leave.
Notice may be given by the employee's spokesperson e. For example, if an employee's child has a severe asthma attack and the employee takes the child to the emergency room, the employee would not be required to leave his or her child in order to report the absence while the child is receiving emergency treatment. However, if the child's asthma attack required only the use of an inhaler at home followed by a period of rest, the employee would be expected to call the employer promptly after ensuring the child has used the inhaler.
An employee shall provide sufficient information for an employer to reasonably determine whether the FMLA may apply to the leave request. When an employee seeks leave due to a qualifying reason, for which the employer has previously provided the employee FMLA-protected leave, the employee must specifically reference either the qualifying reason for leave or the need for FMLA leave.
The employer will be expected to obtain any additional required information through informal means. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, an employee must comply with the employer's usual and customary notice and procedural requirements for requesting leave, absent unusual circumstances. For example, an employer may require employees to call a designated number or a specific individual to request leave. However, if an employee requires emergency medical treatment, he or she would not be required to follow the call-in procedure until his or her condition is stabilized and he or she has access to, and is able to use, a phone.
Similarly, in the case of an emergency requiring leave because of a FMLA-qualifying reason, written advance notice pursuant to an employer's internal rules and procedures may not be required when FMLA leave is involved. If an employee does not comply with the employer's usual notice and procedural requirements, and no unusual circumstances justify the failure to comply, FMLA-protected leave may be delayed or denied. In all cases, in order for the onset of an employee's FMLA leave to be delayed due to lack of required notice, it must be clear that the employee had actual notice of the FMLA notice requirements.
When the need for FMLA leave is foreseeable at least 30 days in advance and an employee fails to give timely advance notice with no reasonable excuse, the employer may delay FMLA coverage until 30 days after the date the employee provides notice. The need for leave and the approximate date leave would be taken must have been clearly foreseeable to the employee 30 days in advance of the leave.
For example, knowledge that an employee would receive a telephone call about the availability of a child for adoption at some unknown point in the future would not be sufficient to establish the leave was clearly foreseeable 30 days in advance.
When the need for FMLA leave is foreseeable fewer than 30 days in advance and an employee fails to give notice as soon as practicable under the particular facts and circumstances, the extent to which an employer may delay FMLA coverage for leave depends on the facts of the particular case.
For example, if an employee reasonably should have given the employer two weeks notice but instead only provided one week notice, then the employer may delay FMLA-protected leave for one week thus, if the employer elects to delay FMLA coverage and the employee nonetheless takes leave one week after providing the notice i.
For example, if it would have been practicable for an employee to have given the employer notice of the need for leave very soon after the need arises consistent with the employer's policy, but instead the employee provided notice two days after the leave began, then the employer may delay FMLA coverage of the leave by two days.
An employer may waive employees' FMLA notice obligations or the employer's own internal rules on leave notice requirements. An employer may require that an employee's leave to care for the employee's covered family member with a serious health condition, or due to the employee's own serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform one or more of the essential functions of the employee's position, be supported by a certification issued by the health care provider of the employee or the employee's family member.
An employer's oral request to an employee to furnish any subsequent certification is sufficient. In most cases, the employer should request that an employee furnish certification at the time the employee gives notice of the need for leave or within five business days thereafter, or, in the case of unforeseen leave, within five business days after the leave commences.
The employer may request certification at some later date if the employer later has reason to question the appropriateness of the leave or its duration. The employee must provide the requested certification to the employer within 15 calendar days after the employer's request, unless it is not practicable under the particular circumstances to do so despite the employee's diligent, good faith efforts or the employer provides more than 15 calendar days to return the requested certification.
The employer shall advise an employee whenever the employer finds a certification incomplete or insufficient, and shall state in writing what additional information is necessary to make the certification complete and sufficient. A certification is considered incomplete if the employer receives a certification, but one or more of the applicable entries have not been completed. A certification is considered insufficient if the employer receives a complete certification, but the information provided is vague, ambiguous, or non-responsive.
The employer must provide the employee with seven calendar days unless not practicable under the particular circumstances despite the employee's diligent good faith efforts to cure any such deficiency. A certification that is not returned to the employer is not considered incomplete or insufficient, but constitutes a failure to provide certification.
At the time the employer requests certification, the employer must also advise an employee of the anticipated consequences of an employee's failure to provide adequate certification. It is the employee's responsibility either to furnish a complete and sufficient certification or to furnish the health care provider providing the certification with any necessary authorization from the employee or the employee's family member in order for the health care provider to release a complete and sufficient certification to the employer to support the employee's FMLA request.
This provision will apply in any case where an employer requests a certification permitted by these regulations, whether it is the initial certification, a recertification, a second or third opinion, or a fitness for duty certificate, including any clarifications necessary to determine if such certifications are authentic and sufficient.
When leave is taken because of an employee's own serious health condition, or the serious health condition of a family member, an employer may require an employee to obtain a medical certification from a health care provider that sets forth the following information:. The medical facts must be sufficient to support the need for leave. Such medical facts may include information on symptoms, diagnosis, hospitalization, doctor visits, whether medication has been prescribed, any referrals for evaluation or treatment physical therapy, for example , or any other regimen of continuing treatment;.
Optional form WHE is for use when the employee's need for leave is due to the employee's own serious health condition. Optional form WHF is for use when the employee needs leave to care for a family member with a serious health condition. These optional forms reflect certification requirements so as to permit the health care provider to furnish appropriate medical information. In all instances the information on the form must relate only to the serious health condition for which the current need for leave exists.
Similarly, an employer may request additional information in accordance with a paid leave policy or disability plan that requires greater information to qualify for payments or benefits, provided that the employer informs the employee that the additional information only needs to be provided in connection with receipt of such payments or benefits.
Any information received pursuant to such policy or plan may be considered in determining the employee's entitlement to FMLA-protected leave. If the employee fails to provide the information required for receipt of such payments or benefits, such failure will not affect the employee's entitlement to take unpaid FMLA leave. Any information received pursuant to these procedures may be considered in determining the employee's entitlement to FMLA-protected leave. In all instances in which certification is requested, it is the employee's responsibility to provide the employer with complete and sufficient certification and failure to do so may result in the denial of FMLA leave.
If an employee submits a complete and sufficient certification signed by the health care provider, the employer may not request additional information from the health care provider. To make such contact, the employer must use a health care provider, a human resources professional, a leave administrator, or a management official.
Under no circumstances, however, may the employee's direct supervisor contact the employee's health care provider. Clarification means contacting the health care provider to understand the handwriting on the medical certification or to understand the meaning of a response. Employers may not ask health care providers for additional information beyond that required by the certification form.
If an employee chooses not to provide the employer with authorization allowing the employer to clarify the certification with the health care provider, and does not otherwise clarify the certification, the employer may deny the taking of FMLA leave if the certification is unclear.
It is the employee's responsibility to provide the employer with a complete and sufficient certification and to clarify the certification if necessary. Pending receipt of the second or third medical opinion, the employee is provisionally entitled to the benefits of the Act, including maintenance of group health benefits. If the certifications do not ultimately establish the employee's entitlement to FMLA leave, the leave shall not be designated as FMLA leave and may be treated as paid or unpaid leave under the employer's established leave policies.
The employer may not regularly contract with or otherwise regularly utilize the services of the health care provider furnishing the second opinion unless the employer is located in an area where access to health care is extremely limited e.
If the opinions of the employee's and the employer's designated health care providers differ, the employer may require the employee to obtain certification from a third health care provider, again at the employer's expense.
This third opinion shall be final and binding. The third health care provider must be designated or approved jointly by the employer and the employee. The employer and the employee must each act in good faith to attempt to reach agreement on whom to select for the third opinion provider.
If the employer does not attempt in good faith to reach agreement, the employer will be bound by the first certification. If the employee does not attempt in good faith to reach agreement, the employee will be bound by the second certification. For example, an employee who refuses to agree to see a doctor in the specialty in question may be failing to act in good faith. On the other hand, an employer that refuses to agree to any doctor on a list of specialists in the appropriate field provided by the employee and whom the employee has not previously consulted may be failing to act in good faith.
The employer is required to provide the employee with a copy of the second and third medical opinions, where applicable, upon request by the employee. Requested copies are to be provided within five business days unless extenuating circumstances prevent such action.
The employer may not require the employee or family member to travel outside normal commuting distance for purposes of obtaining the second or third medical opinions except in very unusual circumstances. In circumstances in which the employee or a family member is visiting in another country, or a family member resides in another country, and a serious health condition develops, the employer shall accept a medical certification as well as second and third opinions from a health care provider who practices in that country.
Where a certification by a foreign health care provider is in a language other than English, the employee must provide the employer with a written translation of the certification upon request. An employer may request recertification no more often than every 30 days and only in connection with an absence by the employee, unless paragraphs b or c of this section apply. If the medical certification indicates that the minimum duration of the condition is more than 30 days, an employer must wait until that minimum duration expires before requesting a recertification, unless paragraph c of this section applies.
For example, if the medical certification states that an employee will be unable to work, whether continuously or on an intermittent basis, for 40 days, the employer must wait 40 days before requesting a recertification. In all cases, an employer may request a recertification of a medical condition every six months in connection with an absence by the employee.
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